Karaoke, Belgian Style

Most of Monday, I just hung around the house and relaxed, getting ready for LONDON (I leave tomorrow and will be back on Sunday). At around 6, Arnaud and I left for Namur. Talia and Emma were initially supposed to come along, but Talia had to be in Brussels early the next morning and Emma was sick, so it was just me and the brother. We passed the car ride discussing my French, tattoos and who knows what else.

We got to Namur and had dinner with a bunch of Arnaud's friends (delicious pasta with some sort of tomato sauce and either chicken or scampi) before heading over to the karaoke bar. On the way, Arnaud told me that I had to sing. It was not a question, it was not a request. I was obligated. Period, end of story. I tried pulling the "I-can't-sing-in-French" card, but he wasn't having it. We got to the karaoke bar, and after meeting up with some more friends, the karaoke got started.

Most people sang songs in French (which I didn't understand), but a girl I met from Spain sang the Macarena, which was tons of fun. :) Eventually, the song book came to me, and I had a chance to search through the English songs. They were real gems, like Billie Jean and I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing. I did find "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz though. Before I continue, it's important to note that Arnaud has NEVER seen The Wizard of Oz. I'm working on remedying that situation, and Arnaud and I talk about the movie quite a bit. I'm still trying to find a copy of it in French. Anyway, to continue, I pointed out the song to Arnaud. He said "Okay, that's what we'll sing," and stood up to put our names on the list. I refused to let him subject me to that humiliation, and I forced him to sit back down. He smiled and said, "Okay, then we'll sing it at midnight."

The evening continued, and people from our group continued to sing tons of songs. Apparently, you can only sing a certain number of times before the Karaoke Master (yes, I made that up) won't let you sing anymore. Arnaud reached his limit, but instead of just not singing, he tried telling the Karaoke Master that his name was Noah. It didn't work.

At about 1 am, the karaoke bar closed. I ended up not singing in front of the crowd, but the last song was "Zombie" by The Cranberries. Arnaud and I stood up in the crowd and screamed the words at the top of our lungs. It was quite fun. We all headed back to the flats (college studio apartments) and hung out, watching YouTube videos and talking. It was a great night.

Yesterday I went to the monthly Rotary meeting and got to spend some time with my third host family because Camille was there doing her presentation. It was a lot of fun, despite the fact that my chicken wasn't evenly cooked and there was a vein in it. :(

Today I did a little shopping with Anne-Michèle and Amaury, and tomorrow I'm leaving for LONDON! I'll be back on Sunday with loads of adventures to recount, I'm sure. :)

Mikayla